mangler0075

Thanks ill figure it out.

trailangel

This is beyond your knowledge. Have a local bike shop sell and install chain for you.

fietsbob

Count the "speeds" in back you say its got 9, then ask for a 9 speed chain , then you make the length right ..Chain tool, Close with the Quick Link.

KMC is a well Priced maker

3/32" is too wide for a 9 speed they have to be thinner since 9 cogs get packed in the width of 8.

But Yes Just take it to a Bike Shop and say "make it So" .. slower in the winter, [Rather than the summer work backlog) so you may get to stay and watch, and Learn .

HillRider

Yes the OP needs a "9-speed" chain. Yes, KMC is a good choice. No, 3/32" is the nominal width of all multispeed chains and that's what the OP will find. The only alternative would be a track or single speed chain labeled as 1/8".

As to the right length, chains are mostly sold as 114 or 116 links and the owner or, best in the OP's case, a bike shop will shorten the chain to the required length and rejoin it with a specific pin or a master link.

fietsbob

'Nominal' is not actual, precisely Measured. .. The Rollers and pins have to be thinner as the Speeds count Mounts.

HillRider

Yeah, I know all that but the chain will still be called 3/32" no matter what the micrometer measures. Also, those fine points are only going to confuse, not help, the OP.

dsbrantjr

I agree that you should seek advice. Just because you have a 108 link chain presently does not mean that it is the correct length. It must belong enough to be able to comfortably shift into the large chain ring/large cog combination; if your chain is too short to do this you risk serious damage if you forgetfully try. The advice to use a master link to close the chain, as opposed to the (in my mind, flawed) Shimano "special joining pin" approach is right on, IMO.

If you would like to do the work yourself, a small chain tool like the Park CT-5 Park Tool Co. » CT-5 : Mini Chain Brute Chain Tool : Chain will do the job and be small and light enough to keep in your tool kit for on-the-road repairs; keep the threads greased for easiest use. Keep a spare master link and the removed links from your new chain in case you need to replace a damaged link. Getting assistance/advice for the first time is wise.

FLJeepGuy

Check out KMC's store for Mountain Bike - 9 speed: KMC - Mountain Bike, 9 Speed

Figure out what model you like and then check the web for good deals.

Then check out YouTube for videos on how to change a chain on your bike. Watch a couple, particularly those with info on how figure out the proper length.

If you have the old chain still around, you can use that for a length guide. Count the links (best option), or lay it side by side with the new chain. Chances are good the old chain is worn and stretched, so you might need the new chain to be a link shorter. Having a chain breaker tool on hand to push out the pins makes it very easy to remove excess links. I believe that most if not all KMC chains come with a reusable master link for joining it back up, so take that link into account when measuring the chain.

Then go out and give it a shot.

fietsbob

Back to the Conclusion ..Get thee to a Bike shop if you are confused.

the FAQ on 'how do I figure out the chainlength'? as Been covered Before .

and there are online tutorials to show you the You Tube videos to Find ..

RoadGuy

New chains come extra long so you can cut them down to the right length for your application. Different bikes with different sizes and different component setups require different length chains.

I'd recommend a larger/stronger chain tool if you expect it to work and last.

From experience, I'd say that a Park Tool CT-5 compact chain tool with work fine for older style plain chains with straight pins, and can be used for Shimano HG 7-speed chains. The problem with the CT-5 and other small/compact chain tools is the smaller frame and smaller handle. Breaking many of the modern chains requires torque to be placed on the handle that will bend the handle or bend the frame of a compact chain tool.

For the latest narrow chains with the pins peened in place, or with mushroom headed pins, you need a larger/stronger chain tool. One of the shop size/grade tools like the Park Tool CT3.2 or the Shimano TL-CN28, or maybe the KMC tool will work.

mangler0075

JiveTurkey

Use the chain tool ONLY for breaking the chain, NOT for splicing back together. Use a master link to connect two inner (thinner) links. If it's a Shimano chain, you can use a chain tool with the special pin that it comes with, though many (myself included) prefer the ease of master links.

For either way, don't try to re-connect with an existing pin, as was done in the past. The way 9-speed chains are designed (to allow pins to be flush with the outer links to fit in narrower spaces between cogs), removing a pin permanently enlarges the outer link holes. Using a regular pin in the larger hole creates a weak link.

RoadGuy

Chains are designed to be used with specific rear gear clusters. 6-speed chains are made to operate with the cogs farther apart then a 7-speed, 8-speed, 9-speed, 10-speed or 11-speed gear cluster.

So, in general, consider the 5,6,7,8,9,10,11-speed number to be the gear cog spacing that the chain is designed to work with.

12,14,16,18,20,21,22,24, refers to the total number of speeds available referring to the number of chainrings chainrings on the crankset that the chain is designed to work with. Once upon a time, the same chains were used for both double cranks and triple cranks, but now some chains are being marketed as specifically being designed to work with triple cranks (like the packaging for the KMC X8.93 chain that I recently install on my Trek 1100 with triple crank, marking the chain suitable for use on (3 X 7) 21, (3 X 8) 24, speed). From what I can figure, these triple crank compatible chains have pins that are designed to resist popping loose when they are subjected to the higher sideforces present on bike with more rear cogs, and triple cranks. The KMC X8.93 chain is touted by KMC as being built with mushroom heads on the pins and sideplates with X-patterns to resist twisting. All I know for sure is that the pins are extra hard to press out, which is why I went the Park CT-3.2 and gave up on the Park CT-5 compact chain tool.